Short Leg Length and Back Pain

Do you have a short leg on one side causing your back pain?

Out of all the lumbar x-rays I have viewed in my practice, I would have to say that around a third of them have shown a short leg. I don’t mean a short leg as is seen in many cases caused by polio in the past, but I mean a measurable shorter height of the hip and pelvis on the same side along with a lateral curvature of the spine. How does this even happen many patients will ask? The truth of the matter is that the human body is not always formed symmetrically. In fact, half of us have a measurable difference of our limbs on one side versus the opposite side. In most cases, this is not a harmful occurrence. What can be harmful however is when the femur height and pelvic height show lower on one side in excess of 3 mm. If a person has a significant shorter leg on one side, every time they are on their feet standing, walking, running, exercising, there is unequal pressure that is put onto the joints of the spine particularly the lower back. Over time, this will not only cause back pain, but it can also cause pain in the entire spine, the knees, feet, hip and speed up degeneration of the discs.
The biggest clues that you might be suffering with this problem is one or more of following:
• When you stand, you tend to shift the weight of your body on one leg
• Walking for a period of time causes your back to ache
• Standing for a period of time will cause your back to ache
• You have a had a history of knee pain or foot pain
• You may have had surgery on your knee
• You have unexplained back pain without any injury

The good news is that even though I find several of these cases a year in my office, there is so much we can do to resolve the pain! Along with chiropractic adjustments to re-aligned the spine where the nerves are being pinched, a small piece of rubber (known as a heel lift) in a specific height can be placed in the shoe of the short leg which will level the height of the hip and pelvis, minimizing back pain and injuries.